Propelling mechanism for boats



Get. 30, 1928.

1,689,962 E. E. PECK PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR BOATS Original Filed Oct.1925 21MB? E PECK Patented Oct. 30, 1928.

UNITED STATES m E. PECK, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.-

PBOPELLTNG IECHANISI FOR BOATS.

Application fled October 5, 1925, Serial No. 60,455. Renewed September10, 1928.

My invention relates to a traction boat propelling mechanism adapted forlarge as well as small boats.

The objects of my invention are: first, to provide a propellingmechanism for boats in which the screw propeller is unobstructed at itsfront end and adapted to draw substantially live water into thepropeller at all times, thus materially increasing its ciliciency;second, to provide a boat propelling mechanism irrwhich the axis of thepropeller shaft-is positioned horizontally and extends normally fromfront to aft, the forwarder entering end of the ropeller shaft beingprovided with a prope ler, providing a traction propelling means forboats in which the water adapted to be drawn through the propeller isundisturbed by any propeller supporting or driving mechanism; third, toprovide a compact propelling mechanism'for boats in which the propellerand propeller shaft are rerolubly supported at the lower end of ahousing stream-line below the hull of the boat and rotatably supportedat its upper end through the hull for directionally changing the axis ofthe propeller shaft for steering the boat; fourth, to provide apropelling mechanism of this class in which the propeller may becompletely rotated about a vertical axis so that the direction of theship may be easilyv controlled without a rudder and whereby the ship maybe easily reversed,

without reversing the engine or by interposed gear mechanism; fifth, toprovide a traction propelling mechanism which is applicable forpropelling large, as well as small, boats; sixth, to provide apropelling mechanism for boats which may be very easily dismantled forrepairing the same; seventh, to provide as a whole a novelly constructedpropelling mechanism'for boats, and eighth, to provide a mechanism ofthis class which is particularly simple and economical of construction,durable, ellicicut,'and which will not readily deteriorate orget out oforder With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter,my invention consists of certain novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts and portions, as will behereinafter described indetail and particularly set forth in theappended claims, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings and tothe characters of reference thereon, which form apart of thisapplication, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional. elevational View of my propelling mechanism forboats, with the section taken through the longitudinal axis thereof,showing the same mounted in the hull of a boat and extending'through thebottom thereof, the boat being shown fragmentarily, certain parts andportions of the pro-.

pelling mechanism being also shown in elevation to facilitate theillustration; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof, takenthrough 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the steering gear mechanism thereof; Fig.3 is a sectional view thereof, taken through 33 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 isa sectional View thereof, taken through H of Fig. 1, showing the streamline shape of the bottom head or end of the rotating housing and thesupporting portion thereof extending into the hull of the boat.

Like characters of reference refer to similar parts and portionsthroughout the several views of the drawings.

In the preferred construction of my boat propelling mechanism, asillustrated in the drawings, the mechanism within the hull of the boatis enclosed in a sectional housing con sisting of the housing sections1, 2 and 3 divided on horizontal planes and bolted together with bolts4. The lower housing section 1 is provided with a large, laterallyextended flange 1 at its base, which is mounted on a block 5 secured toand in the bottom of the hull 6, the flange 1? being secured to theblock by means oflag screws 7 or other suitable means. The housingseetion 1 is provided with a central hollow cylindrical portion 1",which extends downwardly through the block 5 and the hull of the boat,providing a bearing shoulder at its iowerend for a bearing flange 8"positioned intermediate t-he ends of the rotatable vertical drive-shafthousing 8. The portion of the housing 8 above the shoulder flange 8 isalso cylindrical and rotatably mounted in the cylindrical portion 1 ofthe housing section 1. The upper end of the housing 8 is tapered andthreaded for receiving, respectively, the worm gea'r 9 and a nut 10 forsecuring the gear in place. Said worm gear 9 rests at its under side onan annular face 1 within'the housing section 1 for supporting therotatablehousing 8 against vertical movement'within the housingsection 1. The upper end of the middle portion of the housing section 1is recessed, as indicated by 1, and internally threaded below therecessed portion, as indicated by 1', for receiving a screwable stallingbox member 11 for packing a packing 12 around the cylindrical portion ofthe rotatable housing 8. Through the inner and outer walls of thehousing section 1 are provided elongatedarcuate openings 1 and 1,respectively, for receiving a spanner wrench for adjusting the stuffingbox member 11. Over the opening 1 is placed a cover 13 for excludingdirt and water from the mechanism.

The portion of the rotatable housing 8 below the shoulder flange 8 isstream-lined from front to rear, as indicated by 8 in Fig. -l. The lowerend of the rotatable housing is considerably enlarged and merged withthe portion 8 in gradual stream-line curves. This lower enlarged end isprovided at its normally rear end with a substantially conical orstreamlined cap 14, which is secured to said enlarged portion by aplurality of screws 15.

lVithin the housing 8 is revolubly mounted the vertical driveshaft 16,which is tapered at its opposite ends and provided at its upper end witha bevel gear 17 secured in position by a nut 18. The bevel gear 17 restson a bearing face within the housing section 2, which is bolted to thehousing section 1 over the steering worm gear 9. The bevel gear 17meshes with a similar bevel gear 19 secured, by means of another nut 18,to the normally rear end of the main driveshaft 20 connected grextending from the power plant of the oat.

At the lower end of the driveshaft 16 is secured, by means of a nut 18,another bevel gear 21, which is positioned within the hollow, lowerenlarged end of the housing 8 and meshes with a similar bevel gear 22keyed to the propeller shaft 23, the gear being also secured innon-movable relation to the shaft by means of a screw 24. The propellershaft 23 is positioned in a substantially horizontal plane and isrevolubly mounted intermediate its ends in a journal portion 8 extendingbackwardly from the front end of the enlarged portion of the rotatablehousing, and also in a journal portion 14 in the cap 14. At the oppositeends of the bevel gear 22 and around the shaft 23 are provided thrustbearings 24 and 25, which bear against the normally rear end of thejournal portion 8 and the journal portion 14 of the cap 14,respectively.

In the head end of the enlarged lower end of the rotatable housing 8,around the shaft 23. is a threaded recess 8 in which is screwed thestufling box member 26 for retaining the packing 27 in the recess aroundthe shaft, there being provided a lock nut 28 against the front end ofthe enlarged portion of the housing for retaining the stalling boxmember in a certain adjusted position.

At the forward, head or entering end of the propeller shaft 23 issecured, by a hub nut 30, a screw propeller 29. This propeller, it willbe noted, is unobstructed at its head, forward or entering portion andnot interfered with by any support for the shaft, gearing and the like,but is permitted to work or screw its way into substantially still,undisturbed or live water, thereby materially increasing the efficiencyof the propelling mechanism.

The housing sections 1 and 2 are separated on a plane extendingtransversely with the longitudinal axis of the worm gear 9 and throughthe transverse axis thereof to permit a worm 32 to be placed within thehousing in mesh with the worm gear. This worm 32 is mounted on asteering shaft 31 journaled between the housing sections 1 and 2.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combinationand arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited tothis particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire toinclude in the scope of my invention, the construction. combination andarrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a motor boat wherein a driven propeller is supported from thebottom of the boat and adapted for pulling the boat: means forsupporting the propeller and its housing so that it may be moved forsteering purposes, said means including a boat housing extending intothe bottom of the boat and affording a stuffing box therefor, a driveshaft housing journaled in said stuffing box in the boat housing, apropeller and shaft supported from said drive shaft housing, means insaid drive shaft housing including a drive shaft adapted for operatingsaid pro eller, and a steering wheel enclosed by said oat housing andmounted on the upper end of said' drive shaft housing for supporting andturning it relative to said boat housing.

2. A motor boat as called for in claim 1, further characterized by thestufling box of said boat housing being set in from the walls of saidboat housing to form an annular bearing face for said steering wheel,and means on said drive shaft housing cooperating with said steeringwheel in preventing longitudi nal displacement of said drive shafthousing relative to said boat housing.

3. In a motor boat, a sectional housing mounted on the bottom of theboat and providing upper and lower sections, a drive shaft housingdepending from said sectional housing, an unobstructed propellersupported from said drive shaft housing, a drive shaft extending fromwithin the upper section of said sectional housing through said driveshaft housing for operating said propeller, and means supported withinthe lower section of said sectional housing adapted for bodily rotatingsaid drive shaft housing for steering purposes, said means supportingsaid drive shaft housing relative to said sectional housing.

4. In a propelling mechanism for a boat, a supporting housing extendingthrough the bottom thereof and secured thereto, a streamlinedvertical-driveshaft and propeller-shaft housing rotatably mounted at itsupper end in the supporting housing a steering gear rotatably mounted insaid supporting housing and secured to the upper end of said rotatablehousing, another steering gear member rotatably mounted in saidsupporting housing in mesh with said steering gear with its shaftextending from said housing, a propeller shaft substantiallyhorizontally mounted at the lower end of said rotatable housing andextending beyond one end thereof, a bevel gear mounted on said propellershaft intermediate its ends, another bevel gear mounted at the lower endof said vertical driveshaft and meshing with said first bevel gear, thelower portion of said rotatable housing being enlarged to receive saidgears and generally stream-lined, the tail end of the enlarged portionof said housing being in the form of a removable stream-lined cap to penmit ready access to the interior of the lower end of the housing, andthrust bearings on said propeller shaft on either side of the bevel gearmounted thereon, said thrust bearings bearing against shoulders at thelower end of said housing and in the cap thereof.

5. In a propelling mechanism for boats, an upright sectional housingadapted to'be supported at its lower end on the bottom of a boat andsecured thereto, the central portion of the lower section of saidhousing being hollow and extended downwardly adapted to project belowthe bottom of said boat, a

I rotatable steering housing provided with a flange intermediate itsends and journaled with the portion above said flange in the downwardlyextended central portion of the lower section of said housing, theportion of said rotatable housing below said flange being stream-linedfrom front to rear and considerably enlarged at its lower end, asteering worm gear secured to the upper end of said rotatable housingand bearing against the lower housing section, a substantially verticaldriveshaft extending beyond. the upper end of said rotatable housing andinto the enlarged lower end thereof, the upper end of said driveshaftbeing extended into. another section of said supporting housing andconnected with a driveshaft of a power plant, a worm journaled betweenthe lower section and the next upper section of said sectional housingin mesh with said worm gear for rotating and locking said rotatablehousing. a propeller shaft revolubly mounted in the lower enlarged endof said rotatable housing, gear means connecting said propeller shaftwith the lower end of said vertical driveshaft,

and a screw propeller secured to the one end of said propeller shaft.

6. In a propelling mechanism for.boats, an-upright sectional housingadapted to be supported at its lower end on the bottom of a boat andsecured thereto, the central portion of the lower section of saidhousing being hollow andexten'ded downwardly adapted to project belowthe bottom of said boat, a 1'0- tatable steering housing provided with aflange intermediate its ends and journaled with the portion above saidflange in the downwardly extended central portion of the lower sectionof said housing, the portion of said rotatable housing below said flangebeing streamlined from front to rear and considerably enlarged at itslower end, a steering worm gear secured to the upper end of saidrotatable housing andbearihg against the lower housing section, asubstantially vertical driveshaft extending beyond the upper end of saidrotatable housing and into the enlarged lower end thereof, the upper endof said driveshaft being extended into another section of saidsupporting housing and connected with a driveshaft of a power plant, aworm journaled between the lower section and the next upper section ofsaid sectional housing in mesh with said worm gear for rotating andlocking said rotatable housing, a propeller shaft revolubly mountedon asubstantially horizontal axis in the lower enlarged end of saidrotatable housing with its normally forward or head end extending beyondthe forward end of the lower enlarged end of said housing, gear meansconnecting the propeller shaft with the lower end of said verticaldriveshaft, and a traction screw propeller unobstructed at its frontportion secured to the normally forward entering end of said propellershaft.

7. In a propelling mechanism for boats, an upright sectional housingadapted to be supported at its lower end on the bottom of a boat andsecured thereto, the central portion of the lower section of saidhousing being hollow and extended downwardly adapted to project belowthe bottom of said boat, a rotatable steering housing provided with aflange intermediate its ends and journaled with the portion above saidflange in the downwardly extended central portion of the lower sectionof said housing, the portion of said rotatable housing below said flangebeing stream-lined from front to rear and consider- 1 ably enlarged atits lower .end, a steering worm gear secured to the upper end of saidrotatable housing and bearing against the lower housing section, asubstantially vertical driveshaft extending beyond the upper end of saidrotatable housing and into the enlarged lower end thereof, the upper endof said driveshaft being extended into another section of saidsupporting housing and connected with a driveshaft of a power plant, a

worm journale'd between the lower section and the next upper section ofsaid sectional housing in mesh with said worm gear for rotating andlocking said rotatable housing, a propeller shaft revolnbly mounted inthe lower enlarged end of said rotatable housing, gear means connectingsaid propeller shaft with the lower end of said vertical driveshaft, ascrew propeller secured to the 10 one end of said propeller shaft, and astuffing

